Esther said she disliked public transport not because of delays, broken trains or confusing timetables, but because of other passengers and what she experienced as aggression. She said she had recently bought a first-class ticket so she could work quietly on her journey, but that two high-school students sat nearby, smelled of sweat and played TikTok videos loudly. She said the situation immediately raised her blood pressure and made her afraid of her own reaction.